Human Rights and Freedom in Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein Principality of Liechtenstein [Country Profile Page]
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	31st best
Location	Europe
Population	37 9101
Life Expectancy	83.26yrs (2017)2

Liechtenstein performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Liechtenstein comes in the best 20 in terms of supporting press freedom₃. It does better than average in terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights₄, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₅ (but bad for Europe), its average Freedom in the World rating, freethought₆ and in LGBT equality₇ (but low for Europe). Human Rights Watch has declared that Liechtenstein "has worked incredibly hard, beyond all expectations given its size and resources, to establish routes to combat mass genocide at the United Nations in circumstances where investigations are being blocked by countries such as Russia and China"₈.

1. Liechtenstein's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
2. Human Rights & Tolerance
   1. Press Freedom
   2. Freedom in the World
   3. Human Rights Watch Comments
   4. Nominal Commitment to HR
   5. HR Treaties Lag
3. Gender Equality
   1. Year Women Can Vote
4. Prejudice
   1. LGBT Equality
   2. Freedom of Thought
5. Links

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1. Liechtenstein's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#china #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #liechtenstein #morals #politics #prejudice #russia #syria #tolerance

Compared to Europe (2025)9
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank9
1	Sweden	8.5
2	Denmark	13.5
3	Norway	13.5
	...
34	Ukraine	63.5
35	Bosnia & Herzegovina	67.2
36	Georgia	67.8
37	Liechtenstein	69.6
38	Kosovo	72.6
39	Montenegro	73.3
40	Andorra	73.6
41	Armenia	74.5
42	Moldova	81.8
	Europe Avg	51.0
q=49.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)9
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank9
1	Sweden	8.5
2	Denmark	13.5
3	Norway	13.5
	...
59	Cape Verde	66.8
60	Bosnia & Herzegovina	67.2
61	Georgia	67.8
62	Liechtenstein	69.6
63	Namibia	70.1
64	Mauritius	70.5
65	Paraguay	71.8
66	El Salvador	72.3
	World Avg	87.8
q=200.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₀. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, The Vatican City and Sudan₁₀.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₀, whereas the worst are Melanesia, The Middle East and Micronesia₁₀.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Liechtenstein has worked incredibly hard, beyond all expectations given its size and resources, to establish routes to combat mass genocide at the United Nations in circumstances where investigations are being blocked by countries such as Russia and China (i.e., blocking investigations into Syrian Government abuses). Liechtenstein rallied support and its evidence-gathering mechanism was passed 105 to 15 "possibly creating a special tribunal for Syria should Russia continue to block a path to justice at the ICC"₈

2. Human Rights & Tolerance

2.1. Press Freedom

#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK

Press Freedom Lower is better3
Pos.		20133
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
4	Luxembourg	668
5	Andorra	682
6	Denmark	708
7	Liechtenstein	735
8	New Zealand	838
9	Iceland	849
10	Sweden	923
11	Estonia	926
12	Austria	940
	Europe Avg	2044
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Liechtenstein comes 7th-best in the world regarding supporting press freedom.

The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index₁₁

It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.2. Freedom in the World

#freedom #human_rights #hungary #politics #USA

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
44	Belize	1.5
45=	Mongolia	1.5
45=	Lithuania	1.5
45=	Liechtenstein	1.5
45=	Grenada	1.5
45=	Latvia	1.5
45=	Bahamas	1.5
51	Jamaica	2.0
	Europe Avg	2.2
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

When it comes to its average Freedom in the World rating, Liechtenstein is positioned 42nd in the world.

Freedom House's long-standing annual report has been running since the 1970s, collecting data on political rights (PR) and civil liberties (CL). Their reports rate countries as "Free", "Partially Free" or "Not Free", however the results here are based on their numerical values. Many countries score the best combination of scores (1 and 1), which is why the table of results show many places equally placed in 1st place. In the past two decades, some well-established democracies like the USA and Hungary have been falling. Whilst most of the world in general is improving rights and freedoms over time, the 2020s has seen some regression.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

2.3. Human Rights Watch Comments

#human_rights

Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better5
Pos.		2017 Score5
1=	UK	9
1=	France	9
1=	Germany	9
	...
31	Australia	3
32=	Hungary	3
33	Gambia	2
34=	Liechtenstein	2
34=	Chile	2
36	Paraguay	1
37=	Costa Rica	1
37=	Norway	1
	Europe Avg	3.5
	World Avg	-1.9
q=123.

Liechtenstein comes 33rd in the world in terms of commentary in Human Rights Watch reports.

Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.4. Nominal Commitment to HR

#human_rights

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better4
Pos.		2009 Treaties4
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
37	Slovakia	20
38=	Honduras	20
38=	S. Africa	20
38=	Liechtenstein	20
38=	Iceland	20
38=	Romania	20
38=	Bulgaria	20
38=	Burkina Faso	20
	Europe Avg	19.5
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Liechtenstein ranks 29th in the world in terms of its nominal commitment to Human Rights.

There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.

For more, see:

• "Human Rights" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

2.5. HR Treaties Lag

#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better12
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty12
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
155	Equatorial Guinea	13.18
156	Vanuatu	13.21
157	Guinea-Bissau	13.23
158	Liechtenstein	13.28
159	Ireland	13.38
160	Oman	13.46
161	Uzbekistan	13.53
162	Mauritania	13.56
	Europe Avg	9.09
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

One of the highest in Europe Liechtenstein comes 158th in the world in terms of speed of uptake of HR treaties.

Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.

For more, see:

• " Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

3. Gender Equality

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree

3.1. Year Women Can Vote

#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
175=	Micronesia	1979
176	Iraq	1980
177=	Vanuatu	1980
178	Liechtenstein	1984
179=	Djibouti	1986
179=	Central African Rep.	1986
181	Namibia	1989
182	Samoa	1990
	Europe Avg	1895
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

In terms of the year from which women could participate in democracy, Liechtenstein ranks 10th-worst in the world.

Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.

For more, see:

• "Gender Equality" by Vexen Crabtree (2023).

4. Prejudice

4.1. LGBT Equality

#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance

LGBT Equality Higher is better7
Pos.		2017 Score7
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
67=	Chile	25
67=	Ukraine	25
67=	Mongolia	25
67=	Liechtenstein	25
67=	Macedonia	25
67=	Cape Verde	25
67=	Moldova	25
67=	Turkey	25
	Europe Avg	46.9
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Regarding LGBT equality, Liechtenstein comes 66th in the world.

Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence₁₃. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws₁₄. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries₁₃. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.

For more, see:

• "LGBT Rights Across the World: Which are the Best and Worst Countries?" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

4.2. Freedom of Thought

#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment

Freedom of Thought Lower is better6
Pos.		20216
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
	...
57	Mali	2.5
58=	Costa Rica	2.5
58=	Bahamas	2.5
58=	Liechtenstein	2.5
58=	Ukraine	2.5
62	Czechia	2.7
63=	Honduras	2.7
63=	Austria	2.7
	Europe Avg	2.6
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

Liechtenstein ranks 44th in the world in terms of freethought.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights₁₅. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish₁₆. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era₁₇ of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted₁₈. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief₁₉. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands_6,20 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia_6,21.

Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed₂₂. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief₁₆, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion₂₃ and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"₂₄ and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.

For more, see:

• "Freethought - Freedom of Belief and Freedom of Religion" by Vexen Crabtree (2022).